From the jungle-cumbered river
Comes a growl along the ground;
And the cattle start and shiver,
For they know full well the sound.
'Tis the lion, gaunt with hunger,
Glaring down the darkening glen;
But a fiercer Power and stronger
Drives him back into his den:
For the fiend Tornado rideth
Forth with Fear, his maniac bride,
Who by shipwrecked shores abideth,
With the she- wolf by her side.
Heard ye not the Demon flapping
His exulting wings aloud?
And his Mate her mad hands clapping
From yon scowling thunder -cloud?
By the fire-fiaucmVs gleamy flashing
The doomed Vessel ye may spy,
With the billows o'er her dashing —
Hark (Oh God!) that fearful cry!
Twice two hundred human voices
In that shriek came on the blast!
Ha ! the Tempest-Fiend rejoices—
For all earthly aid is past!
White as smoke the surf is showering
O'er the cliffs that seaward frown,
While the greedy gulf, devouring,
Like a dragon sucks them down!
Zitzihamma, 1825
The ancient Tsitsikamma Forest is a coastal forest in the Eastern Cape in South Africa. It is now a national park on the picturesque "Garden Route" and is still famous as one of the most beautiful spots in the country.
The mouth of the Storms River in the Tsitsikamma National Park